JOIN USRIP Vishwesha Theertha Swami: Pejawar Mutt seer laid to rest, 3-day state mourning declared
Giving shape to Vidyapeetha brick-by-brick
For years Udupi—a small town in coastal Karnataka had been the centre of activities of the seers of various Ashta Mutts. But for Vishwesha Theetha Swami of Pejawar Mutt, Vidyapeetha in south Bengaluru turned out to be his favourite place as he spent a considerable part of his life there.
He set up the institution 65 years ago. Talking about his final resting place, his disciples say, Pejawar seer used to remind his disciples that he wanted to ‘listen to the hymns and sholakas eternally’ and pointed towards the sprawling lawn as the place of his final rest.
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Seer’s Muslim chauffeur drives down memory lane
When Vishwesha Theertha Swami appointed a Muslim chauffeur to drive his car, a few inside Krishna Mutt and Hindu organisations criticised the move of the seer. However, he did not give a thought to it and remained firm on his stand.
The driver, Mohammed Arif, had this to say about the seer a few years ago: “Three members of my family had served as car drivers to Pejawar seer. Mohammed Akhir served for three years, Mohammed Mansoor for seven years and I served him for one and a half years,” said Arif.
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Dalit outreach that didn’t violate tenets of sainthood
One major reason why the Pejawar seer stands out among the Madhwa pontiffs is that he did not restrict himself to the community, but went beyond to become the undeclared leader of the larger Hindu fraternity.
His social service, especially his Dalit outreach, may have led to criticism from the orthodox among the Madhwa Brahmins. However, the pontiff ensured that his service did not violate the tenets of sainthood.
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His thought duality often saw him walk the tightrope
In January 2012, Vishwesha Theertha declared that he lived with the tag of “Dwandwacharya,” a banter he used on himself to say that the world always saw him as someone who straddled between contrasting thoughts.
“My confused person tag is because I have tried to respect (Hindu) religion and the Constitution,” the seer had said.
Read the full report here.
3-day state mourning declared for Pejawar seer
The government has declared a three-day state mourning till December 31 as a mark of respect to Pejawar Mutt seer Vishwesha Theertha Swami, who breathed his last in Udupi, on Sunday morning.